Pickling Peppers

Several years ago I was offered 1/2 of a deli sandwich by a friend of mine. I did not know he had pickled peppers put on it. This was a culinary delight. I switched from the dull pale cucumber pickles to the spunky bright pepper pickles.

When I grow the peppers for pickling I like to plant the "Fooled you" pepper. It is a looks like a hot pepper without any heat. Yes just a sweet look alike to a hot pepper. I have also pickled Hungarian wax pepper and sweet banana peppers. You can pickle any pepper you like.

When my pepper plants have a lot of nice red papers on them

and about the same number of green peppers on them. 

I pick them for pickling.

Then I gather my supplies.

Pickling salt and white vinegar.

Dill weed,

Mustard seed,

Alum,

jar lifter, spoon, and funnel,

rings,

lids,

and jars. I use pint jars. 

First wash all the jars in hot soapy water and rinse them in clean water.

Then wash the peppers in cold water to clean anything that may have come in from the garden with them off.

After they are clean I cut the cap off of the pepper.

It is easiest to slice them with a serrated edge knife starting at the top of the pepper and working to the bottom tip. Expect seeds to fall out of the pepper.

Slice up all the peppers.

You will end up with a lot of sliced peppers, a pile of caps, a pile of tips and a bunch of seeds.

Toss the caps into the compost.

Put the tips into a bag and use them for cooking up some yummy dish or freeze them.

Dry the seeds so you can plant them for next years crop of peppers.

Now we can get to pickling the peppers.

Fill the jars with the pepper slices.

Use a little pressure to push more peppers into the jar.

Fill the jar to the bottom of the jar neck. About 1/2 inch from the lip.

Add 1/8 teaspoon of mustard seed to each jar.

Add 1/8 teaspoon dill seeds mixed with dill weed to each jar.

Add 1/8 teaspoon of Alum to each jar.

You can also add a garlic clove or pearl onions if you like. I did not this time.

Now make your brine.

Pour 6 cups of water into a non-metal pan. I use distilled water. My water is very hard and sometimes the color of the product is changed by the hard water.

Then add 3 cups of white vinegar. Be sure it is labeled 5%.

Now add 1/2 cup pickling salt. Salt with Iodine will change the color of the pickle.

Heat the brine till the salt is completely dissolved.


Then spoon the brine into the jars. Fill the jar so the peppers are covered with fluid and there is still about 1/2 inch head space before the lip of the jar.

Wipe the rim of the jar with a paper towel or clean cloth. Be sure there is nothing on the lip of the jar that would prevent a seal. Inspect  the jar for cracks or chips. Never use a damaged jar for canning.

Place a lid on the top of the jar.

Place a ring on the jar and gently tighten. If you tighten the ring too much the jar may explode when it is in the canner.

Place the jars in the canner. I use a steam canner, you can also use a water canner. Be sure you follow the directions that came with your canner.

When a jet of steam come out of the vent in the steam canner, set your timer for 20 minutes. ( I know you can not see the steam. Funny thing steam is camera shy.)

Then using the jar lifter remove the jars from the canner.

As the jars cool they will seal. You will hear a musical popping sound and the lids seal. Check each lid to be sure it has sealed. If the lid center will flex it is not sealed. You can run them through the canner again after checking the rim of the jar and the lid to make sure they are not damaged. Never use a damaged jar or lid.

Set the jars on a counter to cool. Keep about an inch between jars for air movement. Let them sit for about 12 hours. Label all the sealed jars with the date and product inside.

Pickles take time to cure. The flavor of the spices increases as they sit. I like to wait a year before using a jar of pickles. They are often suitable for eating after just 2 weeks. Try yours from time to time and see when you think your pickles are at their prime.

If the seal is ever broken or the food looks or smells spoiled do not eat it. Never take a chance tasting food that may have become contaminated with a bacteria.

Canning Pears

Do you have a tree loaded with pears? Lets get them canned! It is best to eat fruit fresh for maximum nutrition. However is you have more than you can eat, you can the rest.

If you plan to can your pears be sure to pick them early (green is OK) you want them just before they start to turn. Then set them on a news paper or in brown bags to finish getting ripe.

In the flesh of the pear there are stone cells. If the pear is tree ripened the cells mature and are like grains of sand in the flesh fruit. They make the canned fruit less pleasant to eat.

After a few days the fruit is ready to can. So gather your equipment

Jar lifter, spoon, and funnel.

Sugar and measuring cup

Lids

Rings

Jars,

Now wash your jars in clean soapy water and rinse

Put a pan of water on to simmer

Fill the sink with cold water

Wash the fruit then drop it in the simmering water to scald the skin. Leave the fruit in the hot water for just a few seconds.

Then using a slotted spoon take the fruit out of the pan.

 Then place it in the sink of cold water.

The scalding of the fruit makes the skin of the fruit separate from the flesh and it peals off with just a little pressure.

Now rinse the fruit off in cold water to remove any of the lose skin.

You will have a smooth beautiful skin free fruit at this point.

There are 2 ways I know to core the fruit. The one my mom taught me is to cut the fruit in half.

Take hold of the stem and pull it out.

Cut in quarters or halves and remove the rest of the core with a spoon or knife

The method I use is to cut off the sides of the pear.

Then cut the rest of the pear from the core

Cut the large sides in half to make 6 peaces of fruit about the same size.

Put the fruit into your clean jars. Leave about 3/4 inch head space from the fruit to the top of the jar.

Make your syrup by putting 5 cups of water and 3 and 1/4 cups of sugar in a pan and heat till the sugar dissolves.

Put your funnel on the jar of fruit and spoon the syrup into the jar so the fruit is covered. Leave 1/2 inch head space from the top of the syrup to the lip of the jar.

Clean the lip of the jar with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Place the lids in a shallow pan of boiling water.

Put a lid on the jar.

Place a ring over the lid.

hand tighten the ring over the lid. Not to tight. 

Place jars into your canner and follow instructions that came with our canner. Mine is a steamer canner 

When the canner has a column of steam coming out of the vent about 12 inches start your timer and let steam for 20 min.

Be careful to open the canner lid away from you. So the steam is away from your face.

Then use the jar lifter to take the jars out of the canner. Place them on a flat surface, keep the jars about an inch apart so they can have good air circulation around them to help them cool.

As they cool you will hear the lids popping. This lets you know they are sealing. Press on the center of each lid to see if it is sealed. It is sealed if the center of the lid in depressed into the jar.

 If the lid is flexing up and down it is not sealed. Any unsealed jars need to be checked. Look for cracks or chips in the jar or lip of the jar. You can put them back into the canner and try to seal them again. I always put them in a new jar and get a new lid to start over.

Last of all label and date your jars and put them on the shelf.